CHAPTER 2: THE REQUIREMENTS PROCESS
CHAPTER 2: THE
REQUIREMENTS PROCESS
WHAT IS A PROJECT
BLASTOFF AND ITS THE IMPORTANCE IN A PROJECT?
The project blastoff is one of the initial activities which is
about to happen in a few hours or a few days depending to the size of the
project. The project blastoff is also called project kickoff, project
initiation, or launch. Any projects need to get well prepared for the
resources, detail information before proceeding to next phases. In fact, a
project blastoff is one of the most important tools to succeed. This is the occasion
to set up many essential things such as:
- Purpose of the project
- The scope of work
- The stakeholders
- Constraints
- The risks
- The estimated cost
·
WHY DOES A BUSINESS
ANALYST USE THE QUICK AND DIRTY MODELING?
The quick and dirty modeling is also known as quick and
dirty prototyping which the “dirty” word does not have the negative meaning. This
model uses available materials and objects to simulate the actual situation very
quickly. The purpose of this model is to make sure that all members of the team
talk about the same facts. Potential materials can be used to present the user with
a simulation of the requirements as they might be implemented are pencil and
paper, tape, whiteboards, or other office utensils or the things you just carry
with you. The important thing is that these are quickly at hand and a minimum
cost and little time is needed. Below is an example of quick and dirty prototype:
WHAT SHOULD A
BUSINESS ANALYST NOTICE WHEN WRITING REQUIREMENTS?
Before writing requirements, a business analyst should collect
and analyze each requirement from the stakeholders carefully. Meanwhile, a
business analyst should research and reference from other work and template for
written requirements of the company which is to ensure keeping documentation
standard across the organization. When writing
requirements, a business analyst need to apply proper elicitation methods to verify
all the necessary requirements have been identified and documented. Another concern
for a business analyst is to use clear and non-technical language, if there are
any jargons or technical language used, there must be a glossary to explain
those words for the stakeholders. Additional, business requirements with some
demonstrated pictures can bring visual effect to the users and help users
easier to understand.
WHAT IS A SNOW CARD
AND WHEN TO USE IT?
A snow card, otherwise known as the Volere requirements
shell or Atomic Requirement, is the template for an individual requirement. That
requirement must be measurable, testable, traceable and detailed enough to
define all aspects of a need without further breakdown. The snow card identifies
a number of attributes that together compose one atomic requirement. Below is
an example of snow card:
This card consists “of a 5-inch by 8-inch card, printed with
the requirement’s attributes, that is used for our initial requirements gathering.
WHAT IS FORMALITY
GUIDE AND WHY TO HAVE IT?
Depending on the size of the project, the approaching method
of gathering requirements may vary. In some cases, it is unnecessary to make
requirements discovery and communication formal because informality helps
either sides of business analyst or stakeholders save time and still reach the
wanted goals. However, in some situation, it is a must to be formal in
requirements gathering and communication. This is the reason why a formality
guide is included to instruct a business analyst when to be formal or
informal. There are three conventions aiming
to demonstrate the project size:
·
Rabbit – small, fast, and short-lived
·
Horse – fast, strong, and dependable
·
Elephant – solid, strong, long life, and a long
memory
Posted by Kim Le
Project blastoff is an activity to set up a requirements project. It is an activity which allows to gather a lot of information together and make sure that the project is well founded. It is a key activity in order to set up the foundation of the project and make sure that each and every team member of the project is focusing in the same direction and try to achieve project milestones. Project blastoff determines the project scope and set horizons of the work area of the product. It also determines the key stakeholders of the project who have great interest in the project success and highly affected by the project activities. Project blastoff activity allows to make a blueprint for the requirements discovery activities.
ReplyDeleteA major problem in system development is misunderstood requirements. To avoid any misunderstanding, the analysts must write their requirements in an unambiguous and testable manner, and at the same time ensure that the originating stakeholder understands and agrees with the written requirement before it is passed on to the developers. In other words, the analysts write the requirements so as to ensure that parties at either end of the development spectrum are able to have an identical understanding of what is needed.
ReplyDeleteAt the very beginning of the projects, the initial activities are done to get well prepared about the coming phases of projects, they are known as project blastoff. Moreover, BAs use quick and dirty modelling to clarify the requirements of the project to the team, so as to avoid possible misunderstandings among group members. Apart from this, BAs are required to be much concerned when writing the requirements. They must collect and analyze the requirements from the stakeholders and using simple and understandable language is also recommended when writing the requirements. Also, there are different methods for gathering the requirements depending on the size of the project, this thing should also be kept in mind by BAs.
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